Wegener and the Continental Drift Theory
How we interpret the science of centuries past cannot be separated from our view of modern science. The danger is that this view may be based on a stereotype. A common stereotype of a scientist is that of a rational professional that evaluates new ideas based only on an objective evaluation of data. This would leave the impression that, unlike early scientists, modern scientists proposing radical new ideas do not need to fear the reactions of those entrenched in the existing system. Alfred Wegener is one modern scientist amongst many that demonstrate that new ideas threaten the establishment, regardless of the century.
Alfred Wegener was the scientist who championed the
Continental Drift Theory through the first few decades of
the twentieth century. Simply put, his hypothesis proposed
that the continents had once been joined, and
over time had drifted apart. The jigsaw fit that the continents
make with each other can be seen by looking at any world map.
The image
below shows the continents of Africa and South America
joined together.
Clicking on the image will illustrate their drift to their current positions (thanks are due NASA for the original
images).
Full Image (6K)
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